After much suspense and an agonizing wait for Boston Celtics fans, Jaylen Brown finally opened up on Thursday about the stunning trade that sent him to the Philadelphia 76ers. The five-time All-Star shared some juicy details, including how he thought there was “a lack of respect” from Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens in their conversations.
Brown also shed light on the moment that made him realize the two teams had officially agreed to the potentially league-altering move.
Jaylen Brown Recounts When Celtics-76ers Trade Sunk In
During his Thursday Twitch livestream, Brown shared that he went to the Auerbach Center, his longtime training ground in Boston, and was caught off guard by what happened next.
“I went up to the facility, and my key card got rejected,” Brown said with a smile as he opened up about the experience. “Damn, I just wanted to see if it was real. Damn! Damn! They packed me up, bro!”
“I went up to the facility, and my key card got rejected. Damn, I just wanted to see if it was real, packed me up, bro.”
— Jaylen Brown. 💀💀💀
(h/t @MrBuckBuckNBA)
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) July 3, 2026
The 2024 NBA Finals MVP was essentially implying that the Celtics’ personnel and security at the practice center knew the trade had become official before he was informed about it. The NBA world hilariously trolled him with the Jamal Adams meme after the somewhat embarrassing revelation.
Earlier in the livestream, the All-NBA wing said that he thought his conversations with Stevens had gone well until his trade to Philadelphia came “out of nowhere.” The two-way star added that he believed he had “earned the right” to get more of a heads-up from the team’s head of basketball operations.
Brown was initially the centerpiece of the Celtics’ reported offer to acquire former Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo. When the Bucks shipped the two-time MVP to the Miami Heat, Stevens kept Brown on the trading block.
The Brown trade wasn’t the usual way Stevens has handled his business since taking over from Danny Ainge in 2021. After long being almost surgical with his decisions, abruptly unloading one of the team’s best players seemed like a desperate move. NBA insider Shams Charania said on Wednesday that the Celtics were in “full-blown shopping” mode with the 29-year-old.
What shocked the basketball world even more was the minimal return Stevens wrangled out of Mike Gansey, the 76ers’ new president of basketball operations. Gansey gave up 36-year-old Paul George, two first-round picks (2028 and 2031), and two second-round picks (2028 and 2030) for a bona fide star in the prime of his career.
Brown seems to have quickly moved on. He said on his Twitch stream that he already has his “Philly shifters” in the building. The 6-foot-6 wing also wrote a letter thanking Boston supporters before expressing his eagerness to prove himself again and earn the respect of the Philadelphia faithful.
